How to wear 8 rings without looking like a weirdo:

Two books were recently suggested to me that I have been getting inspiration from: Semiprecious Salvage and Vintage Redux. I actually bought Semiprecious Salvage, but just leafed through Vintage Redux at Barnes & Noble the other day which is where I got this idea for a ring bracelet! Awesome, I thought - I have a lot of rings just sitting in my jewelry box! My Mom taught me at a very young age about the value and sentimental memories from fine jewelry. I got my first birthstone ring (sapphire) for my 10th birthday. A few years later, my parents helped me put an opal ring on layaway and I paid it off little by little. My Mom gave me a diamond ring of hers.... my class ring..... other gifts or purchases I made myself. At any rate, unfortunately I never wear these rings. They are certainly still beautiful and mean a lot to me. So I was really excited about this idea of putting them to a new use where I could show them off in a different way! If I ever want to wear them traditionally again, all I have to do is unlink the bracelet. A ring itself acts as part of a toggle clasp! I've worn this bracelet to work the last few days and just love it! On the other hand, my wedding set is a permanent fixture of my body. I hardly ever take it off - which can be bad when I am doing things like yard work or more recently, metal work. Which leads me to a copper patina update:

Being the impatient person that I am, I didn't want to have to order black patina online and wait for it to arrive. So on Wednesday, I found a stained glass business nearby that sold it and Jon was nice enough to pick it up for me. I experimented a bit and here is the progress. There is no exact science to this copper etching thing - it's all trial and error and there are so many variables you can come out with. The longer you leave your piece in the ferric chloride, the deeper your etch will be. I still like the plainer finish I got on my first 2 plates which I think was achieved with the baking soda I rinsed them with to neutralize them. I do like the look of the black patina too, but I think I will try sanding more of it off so that it just outlines the image. I feel the pieces are supposed to look old and distressed so I'm trying not to be too much of a perfectionist. It's fun and addictive and I will keep up with the updates!